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PRONE TO LOVE

Name: PRONE TO LOVE
Author: Jason Clark
ISBN: 978-0768442496

by Jason Clark ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 18, 2014

Fresh, engaging inspirational discussion, likely to challenge Christians young and old.

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In this latest inspirational work by Clark (Surrendered and Untamed, 2011), he asserts that a Christian’s relationship with God should be motivated by love, and not simply need.

The author, a singer/songwriter, pastor and parent, is passionate about his relationship with God, and it shines through on nearly every page of this well-written book. Using practical analogies, Clark finds life-lessons in a range of events, from his dad accidentally cutting his hand with a circular saw to his own grace-filled escape from a speeding ticket. The title refers to an 18th-century hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” which says that a Christian is “prone to wander.” Clark’s grandmother took exception to that verse; she insisted that because she loved God, she was actually not prone to wander. The author agrees, and refutes those who say that Christians should be desperate or needy for God. “While earth trades in the commodity of need, heaven operates in the revelation of love,” he writes. He insists on grace alone as the basis for a Christian’s relationship with Christ, and strongly disagrees with those who say that such grace can be abused. Grace is “not some license to sin,” he says, but “the license to drive.” However, he weakens his position by noting that grace comes with some “powerful expectations,” which could be interpreted as just another way of saying that grace can, in fact, be taken for granted or misused. This book won’t settle that debate, but it may contribute to thoughtful discussion about it. The prose sometimes comes across as self-consciously modern (Christians are termed “radical responders” and “radical sons and daughters”) and there are plenty of casual “yeahs” throughout (“Yeah, I’m a crier.”). The author might also have found a better example than his daughter’s potty training to make a spiritual point about “quality control.” Overall, however, his argument is often quite persuasive.

Fresh, engaging inspirational discussion, likely to challenge Christians young and old.

Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2014

ISBN: 978-0768442496

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Destiny Image

Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

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A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is â€œHow We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955

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This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.